{"id":14901,"date":"2019-07-05T13:00:38","date_gmt":"2019-07-05T12:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/?p=14901"},"modified":"2022-09-12T14:24:28","modified_gmt":"2022-09-12T12:24:28","slug":"architecture-design-with-sustainability-in-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architect-us.com\/blog\/2019\/07\/architecture-design-with-sustainability-in-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN WITH SUSTAINABILITY IN MIND"},"content":{"rendered":"

Los Angeles has always been a city where dreams come true and anything is possible, where people crave healthy lifestyle\/environment, organic products\/materials or innovative design\/technologies. People are also aware of their impact on the planet and environment<\/strong>. All this translates to architecture and design where the demand for better and more sustainable solutions has increased a lot recently ( for example green buildings ) and I\u2019ve been learning a lot about sustainability and environmental design since I moved to California as well.<\/p>\n

The American architecture is known for its diversity in style and using wood as the main building material<\/strong> ( especially because of its flexibility and efficiency ). As a European I\u2019m coming from a background where wood in architecture is used very rarely ( it\u2019s mostly used in the mountains or countryside where its lightness and flexibility are preferred ) and it\u2019s considered as a material more traditional than innovative. The preference of using concrete and bricks as main building materials is still pretty strong, however due to the environmental changes people have started using wood again and it\u2019s getting more and more popular.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why working as an architect in America has been a pretty big change and a new experience for me. Even during my architectural studies in Europe, I\u2019ve been taught how to design a building mostly made of bricks or concrete, occasionally some timber structures but never how to use wood for the whole building. After starting my adventure with KFA Architecture in Los Angeles, I had to learn and adapt very quickly to an American way of designing buildings made mostly of wood<\/strong>. It\u2019s like studying architecture all over again from the beginning, trying to understand how everything works structurally and what are the requirements for a project where timber is the main building material. After more than a year of my journey in Los Angeles I have to admit that it has grown on me and I\u2019m getting more familiar with wooden architecture.<\/p>\n

The interest in using wood as a building material is growing not only in the United States but all over the world. Wood\u2019s value is reaching new heights nowadays especially for its versatility, natural strength and beauty what creates new design possibilities. It also has many\u00a0environmental benefits as a natural material<\/strong> ( wood isn’t toxic, it grows naturally ) and a huge impact on human well-being. That’s why architects are increasingly turning to timber as a primary building material.<\/p>\n

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